Language of Ellipses
by threesummerdays
Summary: "Some days it made her crazy, the way they always spoke in codes and ellipses..." Based on MAJOR SPOILERS for 9.1! My first fic for Spooks/MI-5 - enjoy the fluff! :


**A/N: **If anything remotely close to the latest spoiler fics happens, I think I might explode with happiness. But until we find out, here's another to add to the collection… SPOILERS!

* * *

Ruth glanced at Harry, who was still staring at the freshly covered grave. "You okay?"

He lifted his gaze until his eyes met hers. "Do you ever feel that you can't go on?"

Ruth sighed and gently tucked her hand into his elbow. "Can't go on," she whispered, "must go on."

"Yes," Harry nodded, turning back to the grave. "Must go on."

There was a pause as the wind whispered through the graveyard. Harry's gaze slipped back to his companion, her dark hair fluttering in the breeze, gathering up around her eyes that were so blue on this unsympathetically bright day. A wave of emotion passed over him, made it difficult to keep the tears that had threatened to fall for days under control. Losing Ros had been brutal, a loss that made his heart raw with emotion from the moment her death was made official. But now, with Ruth at his side, Harry felt like he was healing.

He tried to reprimand himself. Ros was freshly in the ground and he was thinking of how much he loved this magnificent, brilliant woman at his side. But maybe…

The wind quieted as the thought passed through his mind, almost as if Ros was spurring him on.

"She was worried about us."

"Us?"

"You and me."

"Why?"

"I think she was under the impression that I was lost without you." Harry smiled as Ruth ducked her head and the blush he knew so well started to spread across her cheeks.

"W-well…"

"She was right." There was a pause, then…

"I-I'm sorry?" Ruth was stuttering, trying to control her rapid heartbeat.

"Ruth, I know you don't want to hear this, but I think I've waited long enough to say it. I love you."

She started to protest, but Harry cut her off. "No, Ruth, hear me out. I'm tired. Tired," he laughed bitterly, "I'm _exhausted_. I've been thinking about where my life's going. I've even thought about retirement."

Ruth squeezed his elbow. "Harry…"

"But there's a catch, you see. I can't picture my life without you. No, Ruth," he added, gripping her arm as she began to pull away, "you need to hear this. When I think of retirement, I think of being with you, watching old movies and drinking white Burgundy. But if you're still in the service and I'm not, I'm not sure that can happen, that they'd allow it."

"I'm not leaving the service, Harry." Her face was so determined that, had circumstances been different, he might have laughed.

"I'm not asking you to. I just can't bear the thought, unlikely though it is, of never seeing you again."

"Harry, don't…"

"Marry me."

It was said so softly, fell so gently off his lips, that Ruth froze. She'd hoped, no, dreamed, of this day for years, even when she knew it was impossible. And now...

"Harry." Her voice was hoarse, cracked at the effort of keeping her tears back. She moved toward him again, putting her hands lightly on his coat.

"You don't have to answer right now," he added quickly, looking at his feet then back at her. "Just… think about it, yes?"

"Harry…"

"I've lost you once, Ruth. If losing Ros has taught me anything, it's that we don't have time to hide our feelings."

"You don't need to," she whispered, moving closer. "I just... I need time."

"Of course," he nodded, avoiding her eyes again. She pressed her hands on his cheeks and forced him to look at her.

"That's not 'no,' Harry," she said. Gently, and ever so slowly, she leaned in and brushed her lips across his before turning back to the car where Lucas and Tariq were waiting.

* * *

Harry leaned against the railing, staring at the lights across the horizon. Another day over, and another complication for defending the realm added to the already overwhelming list. It was pitch black and too late for him to still be at Thames House, yet here he was. It brought back memories – too many to accurately count. He was in the midst of his favorite, imagining Ruth's suppressed grin as she told him he didn't have to wait for her, that she'd love to go to dinner, when the door to the roof clicked shut.

He turned his head slowly, finding her eyes as she came closer.

"You're still here," he said, a smile twitching onto his face.

"So are you," she replied, ducking her head again, trying to hide her smile. He tried to follow suit and failed miserably.

"It seems that whenever I need to talk to you, you're up here," Ruth said, pulling her coat closer as the wind blew harder.

"I was just thinking that."

She knew what memory he was thinking of, knew it instinctively. They had always had a connection, something she had tried to deny after Mani commented on it that day. But it wasn't something she could keep back for long. Some days it made her crazy, the way they always spoke in codes and ellipses. Every pause, every stutter, every smile, every touch. It all meant something in their odd little world. But in its own way, she supposed, it was romantic. Which brought her back to her mission.

"We need to talk."

Harry smiled. "I'm glad you said that."

"Yes."

Harry blinked. "Sorry?"

"This morning, you asked me to marry you, and I told you I needed time," Ruth began, her words gaining speed as she became flustered at Harry's raised eyebrows, "but I've been thinking about it and I think it's rather silly for me to put off giving you an answer when I know that if I think about it for a day, a week, a month, it won't matter because it's the same answer. And that's the answer, Harry. Yes."

When Harry still hadn't said anything, had turned to look back over the railing, Ruth felt her heart plummet.

"Unless you didn't mean it. Unless…" Ruth dropped her gaze to the rail, then over to the city lights. "Unless you were just feeling vulnerable and lonely and oh, God. They tell you all about mental states in basic training and I didn't see it…"

Harry turned and cut off her train of babble. "Ruth." He caught her waving hands in his. "It wasn't because I was feeling vulnerable and lonely. I meant what I said. Every word. But are you sure…"

"Yes, Harry." She looked up, catching his eyes. He saw the passion, the certainty, and he was sure that his heart was lighter than it had been in weeks.

"Ruth…" His voice was hoarse, eyes shining, and Ruth realized he'd turned from her so she wouldn't see his tears.

"I love you, Harry," she said simply, putting her hands on his cheeks, copying her earlier gesture. "I love you so much. Yes." She kissed him gently. "Yes, yes, yes."

As they pulled apart moments later, Harry covered her bare hands with his gloved ones. "You're bloody freezing," he said, rubbing their hands together.

"Well, my fingers weren't exactly the first thing on my mind," she replied, a playful glint in her eyes.

Before Harry could respond, the door to the roof opened again and Ruth pulled her hands back. They stood still, watching the doorway, until Tariq came through clutching his coat tightly.

"Tariq, impeccable timing," Harry said. Ruth's mouth twitched.

"Sorry, was I…?" Tariq glanced between the two of them and Ruth couldn't help but smile. It seemed the language of ellipses was contagious.

"No," she said before Harry could answer. "What is it, Tariq?"

"Lucas isn't answering his phone. It looks like he's off the map."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Back to work," he muttered, his hand brushing Ruth's back lightly as he moved toward the door.

Ruth smiled. "No rest for the wicked," she said as she followed him through the door.

* * *

**A/N:** Just because this fluff needs an excuse - I've always had a weakness for reading spoilers, so when I was bouncing around the net this morning and I found spoilers for Spooks/MI-5, namely involving these two (my all-time favorites), I actually squealed for five minutes straight, then did a happy dance. Then I went to class and spent the last 20 minutes daydreaming and writing this. Hope you enjoyed! :)


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